The Princess IS in this Castle
by Karianasan
Summary: What happens when Bowser kidnaps the Princess? What really goes on in those castles? Crit and comments are appreciated. Thank you! Enjoy! Chapter 5, now up! Sorry for the wait... again. Sorry!
1. Morning Bowser

The sun can rise on more then just happy plains and pretty beaches. It also rises to greet the dark turrets and blackened walls of Bowser Keep. Complimenting the bubbling pools of lava and back lighting the various jagged rocks that surrounded the Keep, it was turning out to be a rather pleasant morning. Not all the time could one wish for a dark ominous cloud to crackle thunder in the background, sometimes even sunlight could make the dark castle look even more intimidating. Like a black shadow looming in the distance. Just how Bowser liked it.

There was a great rumble as the King awoke from his chambers. No one was allowed to enter when he was sleeping, (though it might have been just because of all the trouble he had to go through in order to get himself out of bed when he rolled on his back.) and the various minions awaited outside his chambers to report the daily agenda.

Thrusting the door open, a bleary-eyed Bowser used the back of his hand to wipe away at the sleepiness. Grumbling something about the cheery daylight sun, he turned to his chief supporter Kamek for the morning news. From a tall height, King Bowser loomed over everyone present.

"What do you have for me this morning Kamek? And spit it out. I have alot to do today."

Growling loud enough to shake the walls, Bowser was not so good with mornings. He set about grumbling to himself, as he ripped a small coffee cup out of the hands of one of his quivering Koopa's. It was a usual procedure to have the newer Koopa troops on morning guard duty, it helped them develop a sense of how Bowser acted. So they will know his usual grumpyness apart from his actual anger. It helped also to get them used to his grouchy demeanor overall. The only one in the room that seemed unfazed was Kamek.

"Yes your grace." Kamek replied calmly. Though the rest of the troops seemed to be unfamiliar with his morning routine, Kamek was used to it by now. A long time ago, he had been intrusted to take care of Bowser, and he was familiar with the King's habits. Taking his wand, he waved it in front of himself to make appear a ledger. Written upon it was the King's agenda for today.

"As usual, the troops are doing well. Though at the end of the month, you will have to pick a new KLOM member. I have taken the liberty of narrowing it down for you since the last Mario Raid, but there is still several to choose from."

Taking a sip of his coffee, Bowser's eyes were getting clearer and his head was unstuffy from his morning fog. Giving his shoulders a rotate, he tossed the empty cup behind him for one of the men to catch. The cup fell to the ground with a crash, making the hulking leader turn around to stare at the shaking form of the Koopa responsible. The cup lay broken at the Koopa troopa's feet, hands raised in their failed attempt to catch the mug. One bushy eyebrow raised as the King looked the small turtle over.

"Hm... I've never seen you before soldier, state your name!" Bowser rumbled, looming over the shaking turtle.

"Y..y..yes..sss sir! Mma my name is Lenny Koopa. Sir!"

Throwing up a stiff salute, he stood sweating from his forehead as he awaited his fate. The prior raised eyebrow shifted from one side to the other as he pondered the new trooper over. Turning his back to him, Bowser brought up his hand and waved it dismissively.

"Don't let it happen again." The King said as he faced the opposite direction, his attention ahead at the hallway beyond. A sigh of relief came from the soldier, but then he noticed Bowser's pointed finger had not fallen, but instead was shaking side to side slightly.

"But, if it does happen again... Then you will be forced to stand at attention at your post, in you heart boxers and salute everyone who passes by. So make it a point not to repeat your past mistakes. Got that soldier? Clean that mess up. Now!" Bowser barked, stalking off down the corridor with Kamek following close behind.

Face a bit red at the idea of saluting to everyone in his Boxers, he turned to the other soldier that had stopped to help. Casting a wary eye to his King, he spoke in hushed tones to his companion as he started to pick up the broken bits. "...Is he psychic?"

The other, slightly older and more experienced trooper shook his head. He cupped his hands to gently accept the pieces of the broken cup to throw out. "Nah. We all have heart boxers. It's part of the uniform. We all got the from Koopa basic training."

He said nonchalantly and with a shrug. He really didn't mind the boxers himself, he found them rather comfortable under his shell. Frankly, it was a lot better then being naked when Mario came along to 'borrow' his shell. But some things were best experienced as a surprise. No one had warned him on his first Mario raid, kind of a 'breaking in the new guy' tradition, so he wasn't going to ruin the novices 'fun'. Nothing said, welcome to the army, like walking to your bunk in your boxers. And the day waiting period to get a new regulation shell, helped too.

----------------

"That was nicer then I expected from you, My Lord." Kamek shot a look over his shoulder at the two Koopas before he followed Bowser around corner. He trailed after Bowser, flipping through his ledger as he spoke his next statement. "... It must be because 'she' is here, isn't it?"

Kamek surmised, conveniently looking away as Bowser stopped and squinted down at him. But the larger reptile's intimidation technique would not work to the older Magician. After a few seconds Bowser looked away and made sure no one else was watching before he let himself sigh. No sense in letting his troops see him in that state, he had an image to uphold.

"You know me too well Kamek. But speak a word and I don't care how long you've been watching over me, I shall feed you to the Piranha plants."

The threat was said low and real, which Kamek already knew. He hid a smile at the King's reaction, secretly enjoying being one of few who could push Bowser's buttons and get away with it, to a degree.

"My lips are sealed. But there are a few more things on the agenda before we reach the top most tower."

Bowser was about to deny his destination before he remembered who he was talking too. _Stupid magician. Atleast his magic can't help him win at poker, or I would never get back at him._ Bowser thought to himself as Kamek picked up were he had left off in the list. They continued up and down the twisting corridors, till they came to a lone set of dark stairs leading upwards.

"I will take my leave. Make sure you get those errands done soon. We don't know how long we have till Mario arrives." And with a wave of his wand, Kamek vanished. Bowser sighed again, _I wish teleporting was easier for such a noble frame as myself. Such is the burden of being King._ But as King, he had his duties to perform, and greeting his 'guest' was one of them.

Turning his attention to the stairs, he complimented Kamek's sense of taste. The passage itself was dark and foreboding. Small torches fought against the darkness creating moving shadows, like shade monsters ready to pounce on anyone who dared to come near. There was one thing though that seemed out of place. Fresh from the cleaners, a royal red carpet coated the middle of the stairs stretching all the way to the top. While the rest of the scenery was that of gloom and despair, the carpet was brighter and rather cheery for it's location. But he was a King after all. And the prisoner contained in the tower was also a Princess. THE Princess.

Walking up the stairs, he enjoyed the cool feeling of the carpet under his toes. Up and further up he went, having put her in the highest tower in his castle. It was great exercise, and he could use a warm up to start his day. Reaching the top, he noticed the door was already open. He could hear a soft sob coming from the room, but it sounded like it was being choked back and struggling to be hidden. Peering towards the sound, he noticed the Princess Toadstool hunched over in one corner of the room.

"Ahem, Good morning Princess. Nice weather we are having." Coughing before he spoke, he hoped to get her attention. He then awaited her response.


	2. The Princess

"Oh, Good morning Bowser. Oh, should I say, your majesty."

Turning around, Princess Peach Toadstool beamed a smile at her captor. Adding to her mischievous remark, she added a little curtsy when she spoke 'majesty'. Bowser, caught off guard blushed for a second before the turned his head away and coughed.

"Bowser... Ahem, is fine." He fought away the blush before he could look back at her. He found himself looking about the room instead.

It was made just the way Peach had wanted it. Now originally when he first had kidnapped her, he had been a proper villain and kept her in dark and damp places. But as the years went by, and the more and more he talked with her as he waited for Mario to get to his castles, he decided to make her a room of her own. He also heard less complaining from her, which saved his eardrums more times then he could count. Sometimes Bowser could feel bad for his rival, knowing that 'he' was the one who had to deal with her most of the time. Maybe that is why he went off to save the world so many times. Though, the Princess did have some positive points Bowser tried not to think about too much. He was a villain after all.

Looking back to Peach, Bowser noticed the huddled form clinging to her dress. With his eyes red from crying, Bowser Jr was staring up to his dad. Trying to work quickly, he rubbed furiously at his eyes, trying to hide the fact of what he had been doing, but he was only making it worse. Princess noticed that fact and moved to her knees to stop him.

"Now now, you are only going to make it worse. Let me dry your face from crying..." She pulled out her handkerchief when the little guy interrupted her.

"I wasn't crying! I just got a splinter in my eye. Yeah! Nothing big." He rubbed at it a bit before running from the handkerchief. Skirting around Peach, he bowed his head to his father before disappearing down the stairs. Bowser watched his son vanish into the shadows, before looking back at Peach, clueless.

"He said the Koopalings were picking on him. they kept saying he was adopted. He apparently got upset and came rushing to my bed. And you came in some time after while I was calming him down."

Nodding his head, he figured it had to be something like that. Probably Roy being a bully again. He always liked picking on the littler guys. He would have to remember to take away his Airship rights, he was going to be grounded for a while. Making a mental note to fix that later, he then turned back as Princess rose to her feet. She cast a glance out of her large window to take in the scenery, though Bowser suspected she was looking for something else.

"Any word? I have squads of Lakitu and Pidgit's looking about for him. I figure he would have gotten the note by now, right? you did leave a note, didn't you?" Bowser moved further into the room and looked out of the window as well. From the tallest tower, he could see all of his castle, and some of the path's beyond. Princess looked up at Bowser, crossing her arms and snorting in his general direction.

"Yes... I left note. It's tradition after all. I even emailed him directions to get here. Just in case he couldn't figure out the first note. I even told him what pipe to take. But you know him... He never likes to check his emails." Peach sighed. Bowser had to nod.

"It's funny how Mario isn't up with technology. Even Luigi has better luck with machines. Though, didn't he do that who stint with that Water thingy?" Bowser leaned to one side and rested his shoulder against the window sill to bring a hand up to his chin in though. He tried to recall the odd machine Mario had gotten his hands on.

"Yeah. It's name is F.L.U.D.D, an invention made by Elvin Gadd, the Professor. Even after Mario took it home with him after his adventure, he didn't even once offer to do the dishes or help do the windows outside. Poor FLUDD just sulks in the corner while Mario runs off on adventures without him."

Peach tried in the past to use FLUDD, but he was to depressed to even let her help him. Plus the force was a bit much for the princess to handle. Leaning on the broad base of the window, she looked out into the day.

"You know... you really have to stop having me kidnap you just when you two are having an argument..." Bowser spoke, though more towards the window then the Princess leaning besides him. When he spoke, she looked up and blushed herself.

"Well..." Pushing off of the window sill, she turned her back to Bowser. "... you know how hard headed he can get once he sets him mind to something." She sighed, turning back and flipping one hand to the sky in show of her helplessness. Bowser had to laugh, he personally knew exactly what she was talking about. Or he wouldn't have deemed Mario his life long rival.

"Don't worry, he'll come. I'm surprised that he isn't here all ready. I mean, Toad and Luigi recently came here for our weekly Poker game. I mean, I don't think I would use one castle for Poker, and another for my kidnapping. It's too much work for commuting. Though that would really throw him a curve ball he if did know."

"You have to have a ladies night some time, I'm sick of staying home all the time unless I'm kidnapped or something for the Kingdom. Toadsworth is always keeping me in my room when I'm stuck at home." Princess pouted, and Bowser tried not to look. She always had such cute looks, that he had to ignore. She was taken after all. And just because they once were married, didn't mean that she would return his affections. But that didn't mean that he could not enjoy her company. "... Oh, who won the most last time you guys played?"

"Oh, well it was an active night. We had all of our players as usual. Me as usual, and Kamek. Luigi and Toad came, oh and Yoshi made an appearance for a little bit, but he had to leave for something. Shyguy filled his spot, which was a bit of a pain." Bowser snorted, apparently looking a bit unhappy with the idea of Shyguy joining their group.

"Why, did Shyguy win the most that night?" Princess asked, curious on what had happened that night. Letting her imagination run while with ideas of things she had not really been allowed to attend due to questionable company.

"Nah, he was just annoying. There is a difference between a poker face, and wearing a mask. That's just cheating. Only Luigi seemed to be able to make him shake." Bowser shook his head. Though the night was not to bad, they ended up having to break it up early due to an earthquake that made a bit of the lava splash a bit to close for comfort. "I think Toad walked off with the most, but we ended a bit early..."

A sudden rumbled echoed about the room. The two of them looked up in surprise and then at each other before they realized what it was. Bursting into laughter, the two of them almost fell into each other.

"Dear Princess, I believe that I'm a bit peckish. Shall we retire to the main hall for Breakfast?" Bowser searched upn himself for a few seconds before finding what he was looking for. Fishing out a deep, black bell, he rang it out of the window. It only took a few seconds for a shape to appear in the sky. Floating into the view of the window, a pudgy small bird sat upon a flying carpet. He saluted to Bowser and then awaited his orders.

"Tell them that we are coming down. Get breakfast ready... NOW" Barking the expected orders out of his mouth, the little bird chirped and then kicked the carpet into high gear. Turning to the princess, he offered his elbow out for her to slip her hand into.

"Shall we? They will be expecting us. And we have much to do today."

"Yes, let us go."

Slipping her hand upon his arm, she was not against a gentlemanly gesture from the giant King. Taking up pace beside him, she allowed him to lead them down the stairs from her room. No use hiding up in her room the whole time, she would be notified when she had to return when he was on his way. 


	3. Morning Meeting

With a positive chirp, the little Pidgit saluted his Lord and Master before gripping his carpet and taking it into a dive. Wind whipping through his feathers, he squinted against the speed and took off in the direction of the kitchens. The lava pits were not match for the expert moves of the Pidgit. He easily skirted and danced around the various pillars of flame, and made sure to wave morning greetings to the Podoboo's that lived there. He was friendly from a distance, since carpets weren't really compatible with things on fire. It was then he spotted the high open window of the King's kitchen. Tucking himself, he maneuvered into position and then shot himself into the window into another part of the castle.

Once inside, Pidgit noticed that the kitchen was still. Not a single thing scurried about in the large space. Ovens, pots and pans all stood vacant and unused, but that was soon to change. With a practiced skill, he reached out and plucked a ladle from a oddly high spot. Obviously it had been placed at such a high height for someone like him to grab and use. Why else would you have a ladle hanging by the ceiling?

With ladle in his hand, he flew across the top of the kitchen and banged on the several pots that were mounted above. As the metal rang against metal, Koopa's seemed to spring from the walls. Placing chef hats upon their heads, the kitchen burst into life. The whole room echoed with the shouts as the various minions moved to get the food prepared in time. Apparently it was common place for the King to demand food at random times, so they had set up this kind of system so they would be able to serve the King as fast as possible.

With his job finished in the kitchen, the Pidgit hung the ladle up in it's spot and left. But his mission wasn't finished yet. Kicking his carpet into high gear, he made his way through the castle. There were many places inside the mighty castle of Bowser; barracks for soldiers, workshops and smithies for making things on location, and various war rooms to name a few. The carpeted messenger made stops to everywhere, saluting to various high ranking soldiers and letting them know that the King wanted their presence today. Once all the proper people had been notified, the pair was finally allowed a much deserved rest. Heading to their bunk, they awaited the sound of the bell.

---------------------------------

Leading the Princess by her hand, the Lord of the castle entered his grand dining hall. Stretching an impressive length, the dining room was one fit for a king. From the fine polished silverware that had been placed upon the massive fine-wood table. To the candle lit chandeliers that hung elegantly above, illuminating the room. Neat and standing at attention, trained Koopatroopa's guarded every exit, and were positioned around the room to offer protection to their king. Awaiting in the wings, chefs and various workers prepared the plates and carts that the food would eventually be served on. Grander then life paintings hung about the room, tribute to the various sides of the Beloved King, making sure to catch all of his 'good' sides.

Walking to the massive throne that sat at the head of the table, Bowser first made sure to sit the Princess upon his right. Normally a position taken up by his semi-trusted Kamek, who was now moved a seat down. Sitting upon his left, where she should be, was Kammy. And proceeding down the line was each of his high ranking Koopa troop generals and chiefs. Everyone stood, patiently, waiting for their leader to sit first.

... Atleast that is what Bowser would have wished for.

Like a battlefield, the generals and heads of staff for the Koopa troop were already digging into the meal that had been placed before Bowser could ask. True, he was hungry enough to not want to wait, but there was a lady present. His large mit of a hand covered his face, as he signed into his palm. He couldn't believe that the, well... no he could believe they would do such a thing, but still. Nothing like greeting a foreign dignitary with chaos in the dining room.

"I'm sorry Princess, I..."

Taking his hand off his face, he cast a apologetic look to Peach, though he found her already eating her meal already. She was eating neater then anyone else in the room, but the various frying pan bumps gave sign to her minor struggle to achieve her meal. Closing his eyes, he snickered. He had forgotten who he was dealing with, and the fact that this wasn't the first time she was at his table. Not wanting to be shown up, he slammed his fists upon the table and bellowed.

"Alright then!"

Belching flame, he charred and blackened several who had not enough time to dodge. Kamek and Princess leaned back in time, having been closer and heard the inhale, but some of the others were not so lucky. Blackened and blinking, they watched as their King got up from his seat and plucked various bits of food to fill his plate. The room sat mostly silent as the massive Koopa took his meal and then returned to his seat. Shaking the ground as he sat, they waiting till he gave 'the nod', before diving back at the food once again.

"My Lord..." Kamek started before a horde of shouts entered the room. Making a beeline for Bowser, shadows passed across him as seven forms made an appearance.

"Daddy!"

They all shouted, clinging to various parts of their larger father. Each chattered on about various things, but since they each were talking in turn, it was hard for Bowser to hear any one of them in particular. Each time he opened his mouth, it was quickly shut as the various kids swung and gripped about his body. Tugging on one arm was Wendy, obviously trying to convey her 'emergency' to her father. Kicking his shin was Roy Koopa, who thought that was going to get his dad's attention. Bouncing upon his signature ball was Lemmy, who's upside down antics was his method for getting attention. Ludwig and Morton were arguing upon either side of his head, sitting upon his shoulders. He could barely make out they were bickering who would get to talk to their father first. And to top it all off, Iggy and Larry were racing to see who could climb up Bower's back spines the fastest. This was all trying his patience, and he was ignoring the fact that Bowser Jr. was sitting upon Princess' lap. And that the Princess was mildly amused at the fact of all his children hanging off of him.

"ENOUGH!"

The room shook, silencing the room yet again. Glaring at each child in turn, he snorted his anger out of his nose before calming down. Plucking Ludwig from one shoulder, he ignored the triumphant raspberry that he gave to Morton.

"What do you want?"

Bowser growled at his son. Hanging in the air by his shell, Ludwig didn't seemed to be phased in the least about the situation. He just ran a hand through his wild blue hair before stating his request.

"One of my piano strings broke and..."

"Fine! Kamek, send one of the hammer brothers, um... What was his name. Argh, what ever the father of Hamma Jamma's. Bus... something or another. Get him to fix the darn thing."

Cutting off his son, Bowser solved the young Koopa's problem. Taking the order, Kamek nodded and wrote down something in his notes before snapping his fingers that summoned a Magikoopa. Taking the note, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Seeming satisfied, Ludwig waited till his father placed him down on the floor before leaving. Turning to his next son on his shoulder, he glared at Morton.

"What do you want?"

Glaring back, Morton did what he did best. Ran his mouth as fast he possibly could.

"Youknowyoureallyneedtogetan attitudechange dad. Really. But sinceyouare being sooooooo kindenough to holdme in the air and yellatme. I'll letyouknow what Iwant. Sinceyou are sogracious totakethetimeoutofyou busy schedule, flirtingwith the princ... "

Placing an annoyed hand upon his son's mouth, he knew all too well how long this could take. The young brown skinned koopa was known for talking with out an end in sight. As well as thinking he was better then his own father, as he insulted him often. Narrowing his eyes, Bowser held the Koopaling up while covering his trap.

"Short version."

Without pulling his hand away, Bowser waiting for his son to make the first move. Knowing his father, he just brought up his hand and rubbed his fingers together.

"Ah, money. Then say so in the first place."

"Well I wasabouttoo when..." Seeing his father's look, he sighed unhappily and held out his hand to take the coins from his father. At least he had gotten what he wanted. He would just go and bother Ludwig, maybe he could aggravate him enough so that he couldn't compose today. Waiting till his father placed him down, he took off in the direction his brother had disappeared too.

Frustrated, Windy pulled out her wand and took it to her father's arm. She was sick of waiting and she was going next, no matter what her other brothers thought. And they knew well enough from experience not to get in the way of their sister. Wincing, he tried not to react as he looked down at her by his side.

"Yes, Wendy, dear?"

"Hmph! Daddykins, well first things first! I want more money then you just gave to Morton."

The rat-tat-tat of her heels clicked against the stone floor as she showed her impatience towards her father. She was not going to let one of her brothers get more money they she had herself. Knowing better, The King gave up the money with out a fuss.

"Now, I need to borrow the keys for my airship today. I am so not staying here since SHE is here..."

Turning up her nose, she didn't really like the Princess very much. Since her 'Daddykins' was paying more attention to Peach then her. Which she wasn't having. But no matter how many times Bowser had captured her, Wendy was never allowed to finally take the Princess out. Bowser sighed and produced the keys, which were quickly snatched up. The clicking of her heels faded as the one and only Daughter Koopaling left the room for her own plans. But something that Wendy had said reminded him of something.

Roughly grabbing the pink shell of his son, he stopped him from kicking him in the shin. Glaring at his father through his equally pink glasses, Roy looked defiant.

"What do you want?" He addressed his father rudely.

"I know what you did, and you are Grounded mister. No airship for a month, and your Koopa Troop army is revoked! I don't want to hear a word, you got that?"

"But..."

"And you are not allowed any more attempt to make a gang without parental permission, and Kamek supervision."

"Aw man... Bummer..." Grumbled Roy as he dangled from his father's grip. And he had plans to try to take over Pipeland to gather some lackeys later. But now he was grounded and had no army to back him up for a whole week. Roughly dropped, he grunted on the landing and complained as he walked away.

Reaching behind his back, he plucked the two climbers off his back. Holding one in each hand, he looked them over.

"And what do you two want?"

Trying to get two out of the way, then he would almost be finished. It wouldn't be too bad, had it not happened more often then he wished. But that was kids for you.

"Actually, just watching you scowl at Roy was enough for me. Thank you Father. That will be all for me."

Iggy said while smiling. He had wanted something, but having his brother grounded was far better then what he had in mind originally. Shifting his look, Bowser then looked at Larry in his other hand.

"And you?"

"Nothing for me, King Dad. I was just using your back to race Iggy here. See ya!"

Pushing off, he swung his body to use the momentum and flipped out of his father's grip. Landing on the floor, he did a bit of a flourish and then took off at a steady pace. Iggy waited till his father placed him down before taking his leave. That only left Lemmy. Placing a hand at the side of his face, Bowser looked at the clown of his son, who had placed some silverware besides his fangs to make them look like tusks. Which he then was using to entertain some of the nearby Koopa's. Rolling his eyes, Bowser didn't want to deal with this, this early in the morning. So he just left him be for now. But since the ruckus was now over, Kamek cleared his throat in hope to get his King's attention.

"Ahem. If we could get back on schedule?" Kamek pulled out his notes and began talking. There was alot to do and who knew when Mario would be showing up.

"As I said earlier, the KLOM needs to be picked out and awarded..." Kamek started before Peach cut him off.

"Oh! Koopa Local Ofthe Month. Good. I'm happy that you have continued that." Princess seemed happy. And she should since she herself had come up with the idea. She had noticed in her first few stays in the dungeon that Bowser and his men could use a better, King to minion relationship if he wanted to rule his kingdom successfully. Giving him some ideas, they pondered and came up with a reward system for Koopa Troops and other members of his kingdom to possibly progress in the ranks. After each Mario raid, data was compiled and collected on each soldier and how their performance was during such. Those that stood out were put in the KLOM list and eventually one that stuck out would be nominated. They got a commemorative plaque, mug, and the option to change rolls. It was not uncommon for a Koopa Trooper to want to become a paratrooper or a Magikoopa. Some Goomba's even wished for wings. Coughing to get the attention back on himself, Kamek picked up where he left off.

"Besides the KLOM, we need you to oversee some of the quality control in Warehouse W. Also the Whomp King wanted to speak to you about the dungeon layout for this time around. Don't forget to pick up your blueprints before you visit him today. Also you need make sure you stop by the Gardens take care of the various things there as well. The order is up to you, but make sure this all get's done M'lord. We don't know when 'HE' will be arriving. If you will excuse me, King. Princess."

Finishing up his report, he bowed to Bowser and Peach in turn before taking off. Bowser sighed at all of the things he had to do and then turned to the Princess.

"It seems there is no rest for Royalty, eh Princess? Are you done with your meal? Shall we get started?"

Princess Peach had always enjoyed watching how things worked here. It was so much different from the Mushroom Kingdom, and parts of it she was jealous of. Though, he was the bad guy after all. Sort of. She wanted to get up, but she was kinda prevented at the moment. Smiling at Bowser, she shrugged her shoulders and pointed down. Curled up on her lap was a sleepy Bowser junior. Having stolen her legs, the young Koopa kid had made himself at home and ate half of the meal that Peach had collected. Though she didn't mind. But after eating himself stuffed, he fell asleep on her lap. A faint fatherly smile passed on Bowser's face as he saw his son before he shook it away. Appearances and all. Standing, he moved his large chair out from behind him and came beside Princess. Gently, he plucked the unconscious kid off of her lap and moved him to the now vacant dining room throne.

Shaking his head and thinking to lecture the boy about letting his guard down, he helped Peach to her feet. She stumbled a bit, and leaned into him as she struggled to stand.

"My legs are asleep." Commented Princess offhandedly.

Turning to look away, he fought away another blush. With out looking, he pulled a arm around her to help her stand. He felt a light hand come upon his, gripping it for stability. He could feel her wiggling against him, as she tried to wake her legs up by moving.

"Oooooo..."  
"Whoo hoo!"  
"Alright boss!"

Came the cat calls and whistles from the various troop members who were still in the room. Snapping his head around, the blush was gone as he was angry at his soldiers. Taking in a deep breath, the eyes grew on the Koopa's as they all scrambled to get out of the way. Fire breath was a great way to get them back to work.

"... And make sure you are ready for me! I won't go light on any of you if you are not prepared when I get there!"

Bowser barked, mouth steaming from the flame. Panting a bit, he felt Peach take her weight off of him. He had been so distracted by his stupid minions that he wasn't able to take advantage and pay attention to being so close to the Princess. Trying not to sulk, he looked down at her as she did a final tap of her feet. She then looked up at him and smiled, almost bringing the blush back.

"Alright, I'm ready."

Shaking his head, he then nodded it in determination. He was a King after all. He wasn't going to let his emotions be the best of him. Composing himself, he politely bowed to the Princess.

"Then we shall be on our way." 


	4. To the Warehouse!

As they walked the long corridors that made up his castle, he made sure to take it nice and slow. Not only to give his men some time to reach their destinations before him, but to set a pace suitable for the Princess and him to talk at their leisure on the way.

One problem was... Just how to start a conversation?

As their foot falls (mostly his massive ones) echoed on the stone around them, the awkward silence was almost deafening. Each seemed to be avoiding eye contact and noticing how nice the mason work was of the walls around them. Though finally the silence had to be broken.

"Bowser I..."  
"Princess, um..."

They both finally couldn't take it and talked at the same time. For a few seconds they bickered on pleasantries and who should go first until they finally settled on Princess speaking first, since she had spoken a fraction of a second before he had.

"Well, as I was trying to say... I was going to ask who you were thinking about for the KLOM this time around."

Inwardly cursing the fact that he had things to do today, he blamed Kamek for bringing it up in front of the Princess. Having her hand in it's creation, it made her naturally curious. Pity he would have tried to change the subject to something more around himself, or even skillfully change it's course to have her speak about herself. But no, it was about his minions. They got all the glory. Sighing, he gave in. At least it wasn't talking about Mario.

"Kamek had said something about narrowing it down to a few. It's been a while since I captured you, so we had to use the previous kidnapping as the baseline. The last time was for the annual anniversary of our first encounter. Good times... Good times..."

As Bowser crossed his arms and recalled the last time he stole her away from Mario. It was tradition after all, and he wasn't about to stop any time soon. Though Peach just shook her head.

"Yeah, well the company picnic was nice and all. And the Koopa's gave me such wonderful gifts... But I still think that first castle you had was silly." Placing her hands on her hips, she recalled the hairdo disaster after that castle. She had to trim burnt edges off her head for weeks. Bowser turned on her and had a look that was between an angry face and a pout.

"But it was my first castle... I was young and didn't really know any better." He tried to defend himself. It was a nice enough castle. It was paid for, and had a neat lava setting. He had several in it's likeness over the years.

"Sure, the lava was nice, and you had those nicely carved statues of yourself through out. And the picture that hung by you was rather well done. The decor overall was not too bad. But really Bowser... Adding an underwater ruins in the middle of a lava castle? Do you know what a sauna feels like? All that heat coming off the water made the worse case of humidity!"

Throwing up her hands, she rolled her eyes at the memory. It really put a poor first impression on her. It felt really in-experienced and he showed his youth. Thankfully, he had gotten more seasoned as he got older, and this became more routine. Frankly she liked some of her newer castles better, that and her own personal room was a nice touch. Bowser sulked a bit, but she was right. As much as he missed the first castle, it was better off left in the past. That and if he hadn't, he might have never gotten around to playing with Airships as much as he had.

"But we are straying from the subject. Who were the candidates?" Peach wondered, raising her head and eyes to look up at him. She had an expecting look on her face, one that Bowser could not compete against. But a few seconds ticked by as his brows grew knotted together. Patting his sides, he tried to recall where he had placed the list that Kamek had talked about. But it seemed that the Magician hadn't given it to him. Raising a finger, Bowser was about to say something aloud when a form came rushing in over head. Flying without a rider, the Broom of Kamek flew and dropped the set of papers from above. The notebook that the notes were in made a solid clack against Bowser's head, bouncing off and landing neatly in the hands of Peach. Almost as if that had been the broom's plan all along. Curling the handle as if to laugh, the broom them quickly took off along the corridor, Leaving Bowser to only shout at it's dust.

"Stupid Magician! I'll get you for this later! You can't hide from me..."

With the Broom long gone, it only left the hallway to echo back the threat to Bowser and Peach. He stood shaking his fist for a bit at empty air, as Peach snickered. Though letting him cool down a bit, she turned her attention to the list of names in her hand.

"Hm... Spiky Tom. That name sounds oddly familiar. A Koopatrol with good record. Oh, that's where I knew him from. He held that Quiz contest that one time. I think I won an umbrella from it." Peach commented, trying to think back at the quiz.

Finishing his rant, Bowser lumbered over to her in time to hear her comment. Shaking his head, he remembered all too well.

"After you won the quiz, I had come in wanting to play. They told me it was over, and then you escaped using the prize you had gotten off of them. Hmph. Well, at least Tom is doing better now, he did rather well against Mario, holding him off for a few minutes buying me time during the last capture."

Not a bad choice. Bowser thought. The Koopa had improved greatly in Bowser's eyes over the years. All thanks to the King's great influence and wisdom! ...Or so he thought. Nodding Princess moved on to the next option on the list.

"Next is McGoomba. A simple Goomba soldier. He's kinda new to the the Troop. Says he was known for his sneaking skills and hiding about in Rogueport. That sounds familiar too. Wasn't that the town that had the hangman's noose in the middle? I remember a box, a pretty box... But everything after that becomes a blur. And there was a flash of light at some point."

As Princess swayed trying to remember, Bowser moved up beside her to steady her. A large hand gripped her shoulder lightly, giving her time to get her balance. He remembered what had happened to her, as he had finally caught up to Mario. But she had seemed so cheery afterward, that Mario probably never told her that she had been possessed. That or she might have repressed the memory. Either way, she had even sent chills down his spine as the Shadow Queen had taken her over. Pity she had to become good again, then he might have had a chance. But even so, Princess Peach was the best the way she was, even if that meant she was not attracted to him. Princess used her own hand upon his to get her footing, making him blush. He wanted move in, but couldn't pull himself to take advantage of her like that. Sure, he was a evil king who loved to conquer and wanted to over throw her kingdom. But, he was still a gentleman. Plus he would rather convert her of her own will, then take advantage of a situation like that.

"That stupid Goomba..." Trying to bring the conversation back to where it had been. "I know for a fact that he stole something from me, but I can't recall for the life of me what it was. But I do have to hand it to him, he is good at what he does."

"Mm..." Still trying to pull herself together, Princess wobbled as she walked beside him, her hand still on his. Taking the list from her lightly, he distracted himself and her, by continuing down the list.

"Hm, Dr. Topper. Ah, he's that Hammer brother Koopa. Green guy, big green hammer, tends to works alone. I remember him, he got brainwashed and worked for that Stupid Sword gang that stole my castle."

Grumbling, Bowser still held a grudge against Smithy and his gang, even though he had beaten them. He also didn't want to think about the fact that Mario had helped him, but he had no choice at the time. But it was nice managing to rescue Princess for once. And they had rescued her so fast after he had Mario join his group, just shows that the plumber needed his help to do it.

"Wasn't there something about some red doors and another quiz?" Princess asked, unsure if that had been the same castle or not. After a while, all Bowser's castles were hard to get straight in her head, of which castle had which traps and such. Throw in the fact they have time traveled before, it really gives one a headache to recall specific details.

"Yeah, I think two doors led to that brainwashed Koopa, the rest were traps. I had intended them for Mario, but Smithy threw out all my prior genius plans and did a mediocre job. Kamek could have done a better job." Bowser snorted, giving Kamek a bit of credit. He wasn't as stupid as Smithy, who dared steal 'The King's' castle.

Princess giggled, though hid it from Bowser. It had been really weird fighting along side Bowser for the first time, but since then they had done so many sports competitions and parties that it felt more natural standing beside him. He was nicer company then he would ever admit, to her or even himself. Plucking the list from his hands, she read the next name.

"Game Guy, a Shyguy that is known for his... Man! What is it with you and quiz games? That's like the third guy that did a quiz show!"

"That's 'Game show' not quiz." Leaning over to her, he corrected her and added in finger quotation marks to emphasis his statement.

"Same difference. But why so many?"

She herself had been in two of them and owed her escape to one. But she couldn't figure out why Bowser used it so often. Sure, he had his standard rope bridge over lava and thick iron doors guarding his entrances, but a quiz show? It really baffled her.

"For that very reason." Bowser said smugly, enjoying the confused look the crossed the princess face.

"Let me put it this way... How many times have I ever won against Mario? Though I hate to admit it, but none, right?" Peach nodded her head in response. He had won before, but never against just Mario.

"So... If I have never won _yet_, what can I base the KLOM on?" Stopping in the hall, he offered his hand in the air as if he was passing the question for her to solve. Pausing, she accepted the challenge.

"If you haven't won..."

"**Yet.**" Bowser made sure to say.

"...If you haven't won _yet_. And the basis of the KLOM has to be affected by previous Mario adventures... How would you judge on who gets it? Hm... And so far most on this list are quiz..."

"And game show hosts." Added Bowser. He had a smile on his face as he could see the wheels turning in the Princess' head. She was not just a pretty face. (Though that was nice too.) But she had to be clever enough to have run The Mushroom Kingdom all this time.

"... Well, games and quizzes both are usually big production things that take... Oh! I get it. Because they take so long, right? The longer Mario is delayed, the more time you have to set up your castle in time. Which is why we need to go to all these places, right? Nothing ready yet for Mario since I kinda got you between kidnappings to be ready, so the longer it takes Mario to get here, the more time you have to work on a good dungeon!"

"Give the Lady a prize!" Bowser congratulated Peach for figuring it out. But then added. "... Just not one of those umbrella's. I don't want you disappearing just yet. We have work to do." He said with a wink.

They had stopped only a bit away from a huge set of twin doors. Across the door was a massive embossed letter W. They stood even taller then Bowser, as he placed both hands on either door and gave them a shove. Groaning, the large doors started to swing away from them, revealing what was beyond.

"Welcome Princess, to Warehouse W!"


	5. Warehouse W

"Welcome Princess, to Warehouse W!"

Beyond the doors led to a grand balcony that over looked the warehouse. It was as fancy as it was functional, offering a platform to observe the various goings on while still looking impressive. There even was a large chair that over looked the warehouse, that bore Bowser's insignia. (Though he hardly got a chance to use it some days, but it was still there just in case.)

The balcony wrapped around the whole warehouse, and gave a good location for various Magikoopas and several Koopatrooper workers to have a birds eye view to help keep it running smoothly. Also, hovering back and forth were several Latiku's that managed the organization of what was happening below. They were messengers from the top level to the bottom floor level, using Parabuzzys instead of Spinies to deliver the messages while they continued to observe and communicate. Some Parabuzzys stayed below, just in case a worker from the bottom wanted to contact someone above. There were also some Pidgits flying in and out, but they seemed more for outside messages rather then anything contained inside the warehouse. Most orders and some deliveries went through them, providing quick transport for any on the go, and last minute preparations.

Leaning over the railing, Peach marveled at the sights. Sure, she had been in many of his castles over the years, but she was usually in the 'kidnapped' role so she was never allowed to roam too far from her rooms. Since the time when Bowser had captured her own castle, one of the Latiku's became famous for his camera work of Mario. And now every time there is word that Mario is coming, there is a camera crew ready to film the plumbers progress as he got closer. In many 'Mario raids', Peach had access to a large screen TV to watch Mario come to get her. It also helped her have time to get herself ready and in place for the final battle. Being kidnapped was sometimes a hassle.

The warehouse was not what she expected. It was more like a mixture of a warehouse and a factory. Things were both made and stored here, but it seemed pretty barren since they were preparing for Mario's arrival. Another odd thing was the fact that the factory part was more individual tables rather than an assembly line. Each table seemed to be working on different projects, but it was hard to see what.

"Mmm... What a delicious looking fly..." A deep voice commented towards Peach, where she had been hanging over to look. As she turned towards the mysterious new voice, (Which oddly sounded creepily familiar.) she heard Bowser reply before she could.

"That would be 'my' fly... And my chair." Placing a massive mitt upon the top of the throne, he tilted it so he could address the minion that had dared to sit in his throne.

"Bbbb...Boss!" Scrambling to get out of the throne, he got to his feet and sheepishly offered the seat to Bowser. Groveling at his feet, the form was trying to please his boss as much as possible. He even went as far as kissing Bowser's toes.

"You never change Wart." Bowser snorted turning his head, he was about to keep speaking when he notice Peach. She had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot at him. "Ahem!"

"Oh! Sorry." Bowser coughed and then turned back to Wart to make introductions.

"Wart, this is Princess Toadstool, Princess to you." Bowser emphasized. "Princess, this is Wart. I found him one day, crawling out of a book. He was mumbling something about dreams and taking over the world. Which is probably why I keep finding him in my chair." Giving Wart a look, he asserted his dominance in his angry glare.

"Don't say that boss. You know I'll never try to over throw you. But if your kids do, then I'm not holding anything back." Wart said with a grin. "But it is a pleasure to finally meet you. We've met, just not in person."

Popping up from the floor, he had to lean down from his tall height to give her a kiss upon the back of her hand. Not that she offered, but he had taken it anyway. Being of noble blood, Princess didn't flinch as he kissed her hand... But she wasn't very fond of frogs, and he was frog personified. Standing almost as tall as Bowser, Wart was only shorter by a few inches. At closer inspection, Princess noticed he only wore a cape. But for some reason, she felt like something was missing from his appearance. Princess, though she couldn't recall ever meeting Wart, felt like she had seen him before. But she couldn't place her finger on it, almost as if she had seen him in a dream... But it was discourteous to just stand there, so she curtsied to the large green amphibian.

"Nice to meet you Wart. Peach will do."

"...And I'm Wart Jr!" Peeking from behind his father, a rather large headed but child sized, brown little frog had appeared. Wart chuckled, placing a hand upon his son's head.

"This is my boy, he's been very helpful in the warehouse. Though he keeps thinking the 'W' stands for us."

"Well, technically this belongs to Wario, but he lost pretty bad in a poker game so I took my winnings." Bowser snickered, feeling like he had gotten the better bargain then a bunch of iou-gold. At least this paid for itself.

"Wario has tried to win it back, but he's got a lowsy poker face. Not that we want him too." Wart chuckled, obviously one of the members of the illustrious poker game. Princess tried to hide the fact that she was jealous. Though she did get an impish idea; maybe next time he planned to have a game, she should conveniently get kidnapped before hand. Though, that would mean Mario might find out about the games and break them up before it really got good. Dang, so much for that idea.

"So what is the status report of the factory? Is everything going as planned?" Getting down to Business, Bowser questioned Wart about the factory standings. They did have places to be, and something told Bowser he didn't want to let the Princess hang around him too long. He didn't trust Wart, THAT much. That and Wart jr. always gave him the stink eye, while hiding behind his father. Stupid kid.

Straightening up, Wart at least took his job seriously. If it wasn't for Bowser, he would have ended up wandering the world for a long time, so he did owe him. That, and it was fun to boss around the Koopas with Kings consent. "Follow me."

"As you know, we here at the factory are proud of our work and put our full effort into making quality anti-plumber products. If you look over there..."

Leading the group along, Wart spoke of the various projects that were happening. Making big claims about how important he and the factory were. Had it not been for their work, Bowser would would lost more often then he did.

Not that she was trying to ignore him on purpose, but Peach found herself more occupied with what she was seeing around her. Holding on to the handrail, it was her only guide down the stairs, as her vision was elsewhere. Groups of Koopas, Goombas and the like, were all huddled around various tables doing different jobs. But in her attempt to keep up, she was only catching glimpses of each as she tried to keep pace, which only made her more curious. But this curiousness was not unnoticed. Seeing the look in her eyes, Bowser flagged down a Latiku. Whispering something, the Latiku nodded and took off.

"My Dear... What would you say about ditching the tour guide?"

Leaning down to get in close, he made sure his voice was only heard by her. He thumbed towards Wart, who seemed preoccupied enough with his own grand tale, that he didn't notice they had slowed down behind him. Princess looked up at Bowser, wide eyed, before she got a mischievous look on her face. Many times she had always wanted to ditch Toadsworth when he got on a long rant on some subject she would do better off not knowing, but usually she couldn't pull it off without some type of stand in... Daisy was sometimes good for that...when she visited and could be convinced. But how were they going to pull that off here?

But Bowser already had that covered. His earlier call to the Latiku had sent his message to certain people in the Factory and soon a large, shambling form emerged from the shadows. It... It was supposed to be Bowser?

Coming to a stop, it was in fact a cardboard cut out of the King. While from the front it was a pretty good likeness, the thin cardboard really wasn't a good stand in for the real thing. And it didn't move all that well, bobbing back and forth in some strange manner as if that was really going to be convincing. Shaking her head, she peered around the back of the cutout and found two koopa troopers manning the flat Bowser. Sitting upon the shoulders of the turtle on the bottom, the top had the job of holding the cardboard up, while the other one manned the 'walking' action by moving it side to side. But they weren't done... Wobble walking up beside her, she stood in time to come face to face with a cutout of herself. Like the flat Bowser, it looked pretty accurate, except it was a cutout. She opened her mouth to say something, but giving it thought she just closed her mouth instead. Sighing, she placed a hand to her temple, rubbing it in a circular motion.

"I... I don't want to know why you have a life sized cardboard cutout of me. I don't care as long as it will work. But I don't think even Wart is that stup... URK!"

Reaching out his arm, Bowser pulled Peach in mid sentence into the shadows, as Wart had turned back to find out what had happened to them. Standing there was the two cutouts, with the three koopas manning from behind.

"Oh, boss! There you are. I must have gone to fast."

"Roar!" Taking a deep breath, the top koopa belted out a mighty roar in anger, while the bottom koopa shook the cutout. Surprised, Wart was taken by surprise. Straightening up, he clicked his heels together and turned around to robotically walk forward at a decent speed.

"Yess BOSS! I'll slow down! Right this way!"

Blinking, Princess could not believe that it had worked. But, the roar had been rather convincing, so she would not blame Wart too much for falling for it. She would have at least paused a bit before she would have seen through the ruse.

"Ah Wart, great at keeping the factory running. But dumb as a brick. No wonder he was defeated by Mario."

Bowser said with a nod, crossing his arms in front of him as he emerged from the shadows. Peach shut her mouth and stifled a laugh, covering her mouth to hide her smile. But the Koopa King was oblivious. He patted himself on the back for a great idea, before eventually turning back to Princess.

"We still have places to go, we better get going... After you, Princess."

* * *

_Just in case anyone was wondering, Wart is the villain from Super Mario Brothers 2, which had Mario, Luigi, Toad and Peach as the main choose able characters. Why Wart talks about meeting her, just not in person. And Wart Jr is from Animal Crossing, but his bio said that he was the son of Wart from that game, or at least it had been implied. So they are not made up characters, they exist in the Mario/Nintendo worlds. -Toki_


End file.
